1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk cartridge device for recording an information signal on a signal recording layer or reproducing an information signal recorded on a signal recording layer by radiating a light beam to the signal recording layer of, for example, an optical disk. More specifically, it relates to that of a so-called compatible system wherein a plurality of disk cartridges including disks having different disk diameters each stored in cartridge housings having different sizes are mounted selectively on a recording and reproducing device, with the disk cartridges having different sizes capable of being positioned and held by positioning pins of the recording and reproducing device without troubles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an optical disk as a recording medium for various kinds of information such as audio information and video information, for reproducing the information recorded on the recording medium by the use of a light beam, or recording has been proposed. Since this kind of an optical disk can be provided as a plate-like disk and thus it can be handled easily as well as it has a large recording capacity compared with a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, it is widely used as a recording medium for audio information, video information, and further for data to be processed by a computer.
In contrast, a smaller size has been required to a recording and/or reproducing device using an optical recording medium such as an optical disk in consideration of the installation space for assembly into, for example, an information processing apparatus such as a computer.
Moreover, since a recording medium, too, needs to be smaller in order to achieve a smaller size of a recording and/or reproducing device, a higher capacity of a recording medium is required as well. Therefore, a plurality of kinds of disk cartridges including disks having different disk diameters each stored in cartridge housings having different sizes were proposed as recording media, and the present inventor has proposed the disk cartridges already in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-176029.
Since the above-mentioned disk cartridges are of a system wherein each disk cartridge is mounted into a dedicated cartridge inserting opening, as to the recording reproducing device, a recording and reproducing device corresponding to each disk cartridge is needed as well.
Therefore, it is impossible to selectively mount disk cartridges having different sizes to a compatible recording and reproducing device.
That is, in the case of disk cartridges having different sizes, in some cases, the positions of positioning holes for positioning the disk cartridges onto a recording and reproducing device are different. Particularly in the case of a recording and reproducing device which frequently use a spindle motor, it is extremely difficult to match the positioning holes for the disk cartridges having different sizes.
For example, in the case of using disk cartridges having different sizes, treatment of positioning pins at the recording and reproducing device side to be engaged with positioning holes of disk cartridges so as to be positioned can be troublesome. That is, since positioning pins of a disk cartridge having a small disk diameter are unnecessary at the time of inserting a disk cartridge having a large disk diameter, it should escape from the positioning pins. For example there is no avoiding measure in disk cartridges such as a floppy disk, an MD (mini disk), and an MO (magneto-optic disk) in consideration of use of disk cartridges having different sizes in one recording and reproducing device.
An object of the present invention is to obtain a disk cartridge device capable of selectively positioning and mounting a plurality of kinds of disk cartridges having different sizes onto one recording and reproducing device without troubles.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a disk cartridge device according to the present invention comprises pairs of positioning pins for positioning disk cartridges having different sizes onto a recording and reproducing device, and positioning holes on one surface of the disk cartridges having different sizes, to be engaged with the pairs of the positioning pins so as to be positioned, wherein the position of the positioning holes of the disk cartridge having a small disk diameter is disposed outside the disk circumference of the disk cartridge having a large disk diameter.
According to the configuration, at the time of mounting a disk cartridge having a large disk diameter onto a recording and reproducing device, the disk can be escaped without interference with positioning pins for positioning the positioning holes of a disk cartridge having a small disk diameter, and thus the disk cartridges having different sizes can be mounted onto the recording and reproducing device without troubles.